Permission Granted: Thayer Lavielle on Power, Platform, and the Business Case for Women

Thayer Lavielle does not lead with theory. She leads with data, structure, and conviction. She builds movements the same way.

As Managing Director of The Collective at Wasserman, Thayer has turned a single question into a global consultancy and research engine. Why are companies not investing more in women in sports, entertainment, and music? The Collective answers that question with research, revenue, and measurable results. Women are not a philanthropic cause. They are an economic advantage.

Her path was not linear. But every pivot sharpened her gift. She brings clarity to complexity. She builds structure around big ideas. And she uses that skill to drive change that lasts.

A Career Built on Curiosity

Thayer studied French and religion at Colgate University. After graduation, she worked in a steakhouse and a life insurance agency. She quickly discovered what she did not want. Then she followed a hunch to Paris. With no job, she showed up at ABC News and asked for a chance. They said no. She kept showing up until they said yes.

She returned to the United States and joined World News Tonight, then Good Morning America. The work was intense. The stories were real. But asking grieving families to appear on television felt wrong. She left.

That choice led her to public relations. There she learned how to shape a message, serve a client, and connect dots to tell a story. Those skills led to a role at L’Oréal, where her instincts for narrative met the discipline of business. She learned product strategy, supply chain logistics, cost modeling, and forecasting. She also learned that her creative edge—her ability to connect ideas to action—was not common. It was a strength.

A mentor recognized it and gave her a new opportunity. He told her he could teach the numbers. He could not teach someone else to think like her.

From there she kept building. She helped lead promotional strategy for brands under the L’Oréal umbrella. Then she partnered with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelly to build and manage his brand. They opened a restaurant, developed a television series, and launched new ventures. She did not have a background in racing. She did not need one. She knew how to build things that worked.

Creating The Collective

Thayer joined Wasserman in 2011. She moved across departments, opened the Shanghai office, ran global brand accounts, and eventually turned her attention to a problem hiding in plain sight.

Women made up nearly half of the sports fan base. They drove the majority of consumer spending. Yet investments in women athletes, women teams, and women-focused campaigns were scarce.

Rather than issue a press release or launch a campaign, Thayer built something deeper. She created The Collective, a dedicated business unit inside Wasserman focused on advancing the power of women and helping companies invest in them with intention.

She also launched The Collective Think Tank, a research consortium with academic and industry partners that generates insight on how and why to invest in women across sport, entertainment, and culture. In 2024 the Think Tank was recognized with the Mullin Award by the Sports Marketing Association for its contributions to the advancement of the field.

The Collective operates as both strategy firm and movement builder. It delivers client work. It conducts global research. It reinvests revenue into tools that help others do the same. It is built for scale and built for impact.

Sports as a Training Ground

Thayer learned the dynamics of male-dominated systems early. She grew up with five brothers. She learned to compete. She played field hockey, lacrosse, and ice hockey. In college, she joined a women’s club hockey team that had been denied varsity status. Alongside four other students, she filed a Title Nine lawsuit. They won. The school appealed. The next group of students picked up the cause and won again.

That experience showed her how structural change happens. Not with slogans. With strategy, pressure, and persistence.

She brings that same clarity to parenting. When her daughter Coco wanted to play flag football but was told the school could not start a girls team, Thayer helped her reach out to the Carolina Panthers. That conversation helped spark an entire league. Today there are more than twenty teams and a movement that continues to grow.

Purpose with Profit

The Collective is not a side project. It is a business unit. It generates revenue. It serves clients. It reinvests in its own infrastructure.

Clients seek out The Collective for guidance on how to support women athletes, connect with women consumers, and invest with impact. Some need research. Some need brand strategy. Others need implementation. The Collective provides tools that help companies take action.

Every dollar helps fund more insight and more influence. This is not advocacy without resources. It is enterprise with mission at the core.

What Comes Next

In 2023 the global women’s sports market generated over one billion dollars. In 2025 it is projected to grow to more than two billion. Growth is real. But it is still a fraction of the global sports economy.

Private capital is entering the space. Corporate interest is rising. But questions remain. Who is at the table? Who gets left out? How do we protect the collaborative spirit that has defined the movement so far?

Thayer believes women’s sports have always had to do more with less. That has made them adaptive and innovative. It has also made them strong. The challenge ahead is to maintain those strengths while building for scale.

The Real Lesson

Toward the end of the conversation, Thayer offers two lessons she returns to often.

First, figure out your gift. Not your job title or your resume. Your actual gift. Hers is building structure around ideas. Yours might be different. But once you name it, everything gets easier. You will know where to go and what to avoid.

Second, give yourself permission. Permission to want more. Permission to want less. Permission to stop. Permission to begin again. You do not need anyone to validate the path you take. The moment you decide, the work begins.

If you are building something new, rethinking what is possible, or searching for clarity in the next chapter, listen to the full episode. Thayer Lavielle is not waiting for change. She is leading it. And she is inviting the rest of us to do the same.

Guest Contact Info

Name: Thayer Lavielle
Title: Managing Director, The Collective at Wasserman
Website: www.wearethecollective.com/5years
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thayer-lavielle
Instagram: @thayerlavielle
The Collective Instagram: @wearethecollective
Email: thecollective@teamwass.com

Additional Media
Women Business Collaborative
Instagram: @womenbusinesscollaborative
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/wbcollaborative